Best writing surface?

[joelav]

My next large project (starting in a few weeks) is going to be a sizable desk. I primarily work from home and the pressboard piece of crap I got from Staples many years ago needs to get tossed in the fire pit. I will draw up the plans myself, but I am going for an "executive style desk with an arts and crafts feel" if that makes any sense. Typically I would use QSWO. I have some concerns though:

1 - Since the top is going to be fairly substantial (3 1/2 feet deep by about 7 feet long) I would prefer it be plywood with an MDF underlay. Also I would like to picture frame it with a contrasting wood which I would never consider with solid hardwood. Also I have never been able to locate QSWO plywood. I have seen some white oak A3 plywood that looks slightly quartersawn on the back face, but not good enough for what I want.

2 - Most of my work is done with a keyboard and mouse, but I do write from time to time. I don't want to break up the top with a blotter and I want something tough and smooth

3 - I don't want to use rock maple.

If anyone has any suggestions, I would love to hear them. This is my "super budget breaker" project for the year, so price will not be my motivating factor, but it needs to be somewhat reasonable.

[rmac]

I suppose the best writing surface would depend on what you write with. Pencil? Ballpoint? Fountain pen? Sharpie?

How about a big ol' piece of granite? That would be tough, smooth, and really classy.

For inspiration, check out this guy's work:

http://www.kevinrode...executive-desk/

-- Russ

[joelav]

Ball point and mechanical pencil. Thanks for that link. Cherry was something I was considering, but it's a little on the soft side. This is sort of the style I am looking for (but with some of the walnut/ebony accents in the link you posted)

[JayWC]

I say you build the desk and get a piece of glass for the top. You can either have the glass supplier put a pencil edge on it and loose lay it, or frame it in when you put your hardwood edge on the plywood. It's smooth and durable and easily replaced. I've seen quite a few old hierloom desks with this set-up including an old mahagony desk in that's been in my family for 90+ years.

[joelav]

Glass is a great idea, however I don't want to use a mouse pad. My experience a laser/optical mouse does not track well on glass (even with a solid surface under it)

[jHop]

Instead of glass, try plexiglass. Or, for that really classy look, get melamine, laminate, or linoleum tile for the mouse/writing area. ( )

My grandfather had a version of the pictured desk. His was a laminate material for the top, framed in some hardwood. After 60 years of kids and clients rubbing against it, it was too grungy to tell what type of wood was used. But the top was never refinished, and still has 70% of the hard surface there. (I should mention he was an engineer, and his son used it for a bit to build computers on.)

[rmac]

I like a hard, smooth surface when I'm using a pencil, but a softer surface (like leather or a few sheets of newspaper stacked up) is better with a ballpoint pen. Then of course with an optical mouse, everybody likes something that works. So for me there really isn't a one-size-fits-all surface, so I compromise with a hard surface (Formica) that works with the pencil and the mouse, and a blotter of some sort under my paper when I'm using a ballpoint pen.

From what you're saying, it sounds like you would prefer a hard surface as well. So that's going to mean either a really hard wood that won't get dented by your ballpoint pen (but try finding that as plywood), or some sort of super tough finish on top of a softer wood, or some other material altogether (like the granite I suggested).

Maybe it's time to start thinking about which of your requirements is the least important, so that you can move towards a compromise that works for you.

Does it have to be plywood? Does it even have to be wood? Is a mouse pad completely out of the question? Do you like the poured epoxy look?

(Just kidding on that last one.)

-- Russ

[Rick LoDico]

You can get qswo from boulder plywood out of Boston.

http://www.boulterplywood.com/

[joelav]

Russ, I think you are correct. A one size fits all solution is not going to work. I really want to keep a solid wood theme and not break it up. I'll be honest and say I SUCK at making drawers. I have done very little casework/cabinet work. What I would like to do is keep a solid wood top and incorporate a pull out writing surface. I need to make some more shop cabinets, especially for my lathe so I will put my fear of drawers aside and practice on them with that. The top doesn't have to be plywood, but I would like to picture fame it. I've toyed with the idea of doing an inlay instead and I may go that route

Rick, thanks for the tip on the QSWO plywood. That is a lot less than my hardwood supplier quoted me (he wanted 290/sheet)

[rmac]

hhh, are you suggesting an exotic species as a way to have wood, but still be hard enough that denting (with the pen) won't be a problem?

If so, mesquite might be an interesting possibility that doesn't break the bank. It's way up there on the Janka hardness scale (2345; compare with hard maple at 1450), and goes for about $8/bd foot around here (Phoenix). I made a clipboard out of it once and it's holding up quite nicely.

-- Russ

[walnut_weasel]

I do not know a brand name, but what about a thin coat of some type of clear resin like they put on bar tables? That stuff seems just about bullet proof.

[TRBaker]

Joe, I like Hickory plywood for a really hard surface and I only pay around eighty dollars a sheet for it. The figure is usually fantastic and the wood itself is like making something out of ax handles (go figure). Walnut Weasel has the final cog in the equation....the finish you use will make a big difference.

[joelav]

I'm not opposed to using exotics. I turn LV a lot and I can tell you there is no way in hell I would make a desk out of that! My tools would give up and die. This is the budget breaker build for the year so expensive is ok. 10 grand is out of the question, but a quarter of that is not out of the ball park.

[CessnaPilotBarry]

What about a blotter?

Art stores, like Dick Blick, sell a linoleum-like writing surface that comes in colors. It should be perfectly mouseable, as well... You could also use the non-gridded side of a self-healing cutting mat, trimmed to the size you want and with the edges eased. Another thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is leather. Many high-quality antique writing desks had a hard leather blotter for writing.

The surface could be stand-alone, or a part of the desk.

[joelav]

Russ really solidified what I was kind of fearing all along. There really is no all in one solution. Since this desk will largely be used for computer use and writing in notebooks/legal pads, I'm going to keep the top wood. Now I need to decide what kind and how I want to finish it. The current top choice is waterlox. GF Arm-R-Seal is the runner up

[joelav]

Really? Waterlox was designed for and is still used for flooring, and is a phenolic resin modified tung oil which does finish pretty hard. I also am considering using Behlen Rockhard, which is a bit harder, and a lot harder to find. I generally throw down a coat of dewaxed shellac before any finish. I know something like a west systems epoxy is pretty tough, but i hate that look. I'd rather touch up scratches occasionally with more waterlox/rockhard than have a plastic looking top.

[CessnaPilotBarry]

8-10 years ago, I took a 40+ hour finishing class taught by a guy who spent 30 years as a rep for Mohawk Finishes, His career included lots of training and experience choosing and troubleshooting finishes in pro shops. He used the first Flexner book as a textbook for the class.

Quite often, finishes that are the most durable, like floor finishes and epoxies, are not the "hardest"... Most "hardness" claims, especially in consumer products, are marketing aimed at "common sense" of potential buyers.

The hardest finishes are the easiest to rub up to extreme gloss, or down to even satin sheens. This is because the finish is so hard, it fractures under the abrasive, as opposed to bending, turning to dust but leaving a scratch pattern. This property allows abrasives to scratch the surface in a predictable and controlled manner, allowing the craftsperson to rub it up to an extreme gloss, or down to an even satin glow. These finishes are usually a bit more resistant to impressions from pens, etc... but can crack or alligator over time as the wood moves underneath.

Epoxies, some polyurethanes, and most floor finishes, stay flexible to varying degrees. This allows the finish to not crack or alligator due to wood movement, and also to "bend" a bit under impact, providing more scratch protection. This property can make rubbing difficult, and in extreme cases, cause "pilling" on sandpaper, but it can resist a lap or two by a Hot Wheels car, or the abrasive bottom of china. The same softness can limit protection from pen impressions and holes from sharp pencil points, but in most cases, people don't write directly on the floor, trim, etc... so it's not an issue.

This is why so many wooden desks designed for writing traditionally had some sort of blotter. The blotter could be built-in, made of leather, linoleum, etc... or laid on by the user, made of paper, desk top calendars, etc... It's also a reason why place mats were so common on fine dining tables.

[joelav]

Thanks! Threw Flexner on Finishing on my Kindle tonight.